Town boss Paul Jewell was again left shaking his head after more calamitous individual defensive errors handed Leeds a 3-1 win they hardly deserved at Elland Road. Jewell admitted that the mistakes against the West Yorkshiremen took things to a new level.

Jewell said: “I think we were in control of the game, then I don’t know what the goalkeepers were doing. You have to see it to believe it.

“For 70 minutes we were winning the game. We’ve restricted Leeds to very few chances, if any at all gilt-edged.

“One long ball and our goalkeeper decides he’s coming out for it and handles outside the box. With 10 men we were always going to be up against it but to give the goals away in the fashion that we did. I’ve said it so many times this season, but I think today is another level.

“We’re shooting ourselves in the feet time and time again,” he continued, clearly frustrated by more points having been thrown away after what had been a promising first half display.

“There was so much good about today, about the way we’ve played. We were good in all departments up until decision-making by Alex and Sonko that cost us the sending off.”

Meanwhile, stand-in skipper Sonko said sorry for his mistakes on Twitter: "I do want to apologise for today. My error cost us."

Jewell felt the goals were as bad as the red card: “The second goal is a long ball from the full-back that the goalkeeper should come and collect. The third one bounced on the edge of our box. They’ve scored three goals, and that’s why we are where we are.”

The Town boss is on the lookout for more defenders, having targeted Leicester’s Sean St Ledger and Portsmouth pair Jason Pearce and Joel Ward during the transfer window after a campaign blighted by similar capitulations by his backline: “It’s not just because of today it’s been because of the whole season.

“Having said that, I thought Tommy Smith did well and as a team we weren’t in danger for 70 minutes.

"Leeds were getting very frustrated. We passed the ball better than them, we created more opportunities, we looked in control of the match, we were controlling the tempo of the game. The gifts we gave them they haven’t had to work hard for. Again, it’s the same old thing.”

He says managers can’t legislate for the type of errors made all too regularly by his players: “As a manager, as a coach, there are certain things you can affect, but the decisions I’ve seen today, they’re just bad decisions which have cost us goals.

“I’ll always take responsibility as I pick the team but when people see the goals on TV they’ll scratch their heads.

“It wasn’t as if we were coming under severe pressure. It was just a long ball that our centre-half was going to deal with, he was going to head it back to Alex, and for some reason has decided to come charging out.

“It was windy out there, very windy and I guess even our goal was a mistake from their goalkeeper.”

Jewell says there have been no developments on transfers: “All the offers we’ve made have been rejected but we will be trying to bring in players, there’s no doubt about that.

“I don’t know about [improved bids] yet. We’ll have to sit down and speak about how far away we are from the other clubs’ valuations."

He says he doesn’t expect anything to happen regarding Sean St Ledger, who is back in Leicester’s plans, at least in the short-term, while there are no offers for any members of the current squad: “There are no enquiries for our players. We’ve made lots of enquiries and are pursuing other targets. It’s the same old boring lines I’ve got for you.”

Leeds boss Simon Grayson admitted his team had gained their victory largely by taking advantage of Town’s mistakes but felt the match was not dissimilar to the one between the teams at Portman Road earlier in the season: “That’s what can happen in football matches.

“We were poor in the first half, we never really got going. We would liked to have made a better start in terms of possession of the ball, closing them down and working them.

“We went a goal behind to a soft goal, it took a slight deflection but Andy Lonergan holds his hands up, he should have done better with it, and I think we were fortunate to be only one down at half-time.

“But in the second half we got to grips with things, changed it around a little bit, spoke to the players and gave them the belief that we could go and win the game, never mind draw it because we had to do a lot of things a lot better. We knew that we could still create opportunities and maybe win the game.

“The sending off obviously changed the game and it mirrored the game at Portman Road earlier in the season.

“For part of that game we were the best team, the sending off changed the game and Ipswich went and won the game.

"We’ve won the game off the back of the sending off and we’re delighted to have done that.”

Photo: Action Images

Tonyitfc82 added 12:19 - Jan 22 P.J out. WTF are you waiting for M.E. P.J OUT OUT OUT OUT OUT OUT OUT OUT ............
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casanovacrow added 12:32 - Jan 22 Sense of urgency on getting a couple of Centre backs and a goalkeeper please!!
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walberswick added 12:39 - Jan 22 PJ please sign a proper, fit, under 28 centre half that is currently playing football, that hasn;t got injuries or personal problems. Sack Chris Hutchings and Sean M carthy and get someone in who can stop our deffese leaking 2 goals a game. Get everyone fit so they can last 90 mins and don't have to be subbed. Decide who your first eleven are and play them regularly. Send back the reading keeper, he no good to us if he's banned. Work with the players you have and make a team out of them. They're no worse than other teams in the championship. But really have look in the mirror, if you can't see how to get us out of this mess and you don't wnat to accept it's down to you, resign. please stop talking all this rubbish, " it came out of nowhere"? If yo're going to sign some one , do it na d talk about it later. You spend toomuch time talking to the media, try some on the training ground. Ps show some commitment and move to Ipswich if you think you're here longterm or perhaps you don't believe anymore.

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buryblue77 added 12:45 - Jan 22 I keep seeing Joe Royle mentioned on here, I still think we were wrong to get rid of him. What he did with no money and some of the players he brought in, even on loan (finances meant no other option) he had some stable players and brought some fight and quality to the club, who wouldn't want a Kelvin Davis between the sticks, a De Vos in defence, a Jimmy Juan in midfield and a Kuqi up front? All players who were not the greatest players in their positions but when they played for us they showed commitment, energy and above all else, competence in their positions regardless of natural ability. What he didn't seem to do was bring in ageing journeymen on their last pay cheque but brought in players who were not necessarily in first team plans at their respective clubs but who were hungry to play. Even Diallo and Santos would be better than what we have and he managed to turn one of our non scoring strikers (Naylor) into a more than able defender, and yes I know he also aquired a couple of donkeys along the way (Dinning and Parkin) but Parkin was one of those gambles where you take a plyer from the lower leagus and it didn't pay off. Jewell has had more than enough time to sort it out and given our defensive frailties and lack of pace at the back why don't we play with three centre backs, use Edwards and Cresswell as wing backs, three central midfielders - Hyam in a deep role, Bullard, Bowyer or Drury middle and then depending on who plays central Any one of the three aforementioned could play a more advanced role with JET or Martin playing off Scotland. That way you've an extra man at the back, the midfield trio will get extra support from wing backs and the man playing off the lone striker. Think I'm gonna send my C.V. to Portman Road.

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FornhamBlue added 12:55 - Jan 22 @buryblue77. If you're going to send your cv in - include something about being able to paint turnstiles - that way Clegg might take some notice - then once on the inside you can start to influence things. If not, and you just talk about football stuff - they won't have a clue what you're on about!!
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buryblue77 added 13:06 - Jan 22 Good point FornhamBlue, how about I pretend to be intersted in athletics, that'll get old Cleggy Boys attention. Clegg turning his hand to football is a classic example of two sports not being compatible, remember when Clive Woodward turned from managing the England rudgy team to trying his hand at football with Southampton? Utterly useless, and what I can't get my head round here is why Mr hidden in the shadows Evans can't see this, he must have the right people working around him in his other businesses or he wouldn't have been so successful.

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Tractorog added 13:41 - Jan 22 The Fat Lady must be on an encore by now.
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Plymouthtractorboy added 13:48 - Jan 22 Is it me, or are all the match reports for the last 4 games just cut and pasted. I am getting sick and tired of hearing the same thing week in week out. I am a very proud ITFC fan and I am ashamed of what we have become over the last 2 years. I appreciate the money that ME has invested in the club, but he has allowed idiots to spend the money for him. We have not bought one decent player but have sold 3 or 4.

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suffolklad added 14:34 - Jan 22 Taken from the marcus evans site." Ipswich Town Football Club,s organisation and ambitious team parallel the success and achiements of Marcus Evans".Perhaps everyone at the club sould take this up as a mantra and the team say it in a huddle before kickoff.
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Tomato added 14:40 - Jan 22 I have some - limited - sympathy with PJ and the other coaches. Defenders making the most basic of errors time and time again is not how it goes on the training pitch, I am sure. So with just five clean sheets in the 30 competitive games so far this season - and only one in the last 16 - it is obvious that the defenders we have are just not up to the job. Who is to blame for this? Whilst Roy Keane can take some of the responsibility, the buck stops largely at Jewell's door, for making appallingly bad signings. And for this, the scouts must also shoulder some blame. Why is it that Norwich have managed to sign a host of lower-league players for modest money since Lambert joined and had very few blanks amongst them? Excellent scouting and a manager with nous and some nerve, that's what. I am sorry, because Jewell seems a decent bloke - he's worth a hundred Keanes - but he should go, and go now.

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singtown added 14:56 - Jan 22 Some weeks ago PJ was saying we were only 9 points from playoff position, I hope he realizes that he should be more wary of Coventry, Doncaster & Notts Forest catching up and leaving us rooted at the bottom of the league. Certainly it doesn't matter whether its 24th, 23rd or 22nd position, it's just means relegation. Thank u PJ for bringing something to the club that the fans have never would have expected, u have definitely exceeded all expectations!!!

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singtown added 15:04 - Jan 22 Lets get real, there won't be any new player and loan players coming in. PJ is only buying time and churning out transfer news to prolong his stay, he knows clearly the transfer targets reported have little chance of signing for the club but he had to be seen busy doing something anyway to get the fans off his back....
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Seasider added 15:06 - Jan 22 Evans should have got rid of Jewell after Burnley debacle last month giving time for new manager to do something.Havn't supported club as long as Zebra(only 50 years);but if managerial change not made then I will be watching 3rd tier football for 1st time and Zebra will recall his early days supporting Town in 50's. But now dont feel its only Manager,Classy Cranson mentions Martin Pitcher well think he is an Evans placeman and employee just like the disaster that is Major Clegg and that is problem our team is really a one man band with no board that is out of the country for a lot of the time;so cant possibly keep in touch unless he reads TWTD!!! Well Jewell said at supporters AGM doesn't read press reports,mentioned on here that a lot of players dont either,and the Major has recently said he was surprised at criticism as never received any at meetings with supporters. The powers that be would appear to be ignorant of the depth of feeling against them now;so the only way is demonstration at the match as Ipswich supporters are generally too polite and tolerant for their own good. Look what happened on Saturday.There was a demonstration at Elland Rd against Bates and look where Leeds are in the table.I AM SURE NO OTHER SUPPORTERS IN THE LAND WOULD HAVE SUFFERED IN SILENCE FOR SO LONG.It is time we became more vociferous and Phil and the EADT conveyed our concerns to the powers that be at Portman Rd.

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irishtim added 15:40 - Jan 22 George Burley to the rescue please
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ONENIL78 added 15:50 - Jan 22 Is Paul Cooper doing anything these days
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therein61 added 16:02 - Jan 22 criticism of indivivuals should be face to face & kept in house!! smacks of desperation from pj.
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therein61 added 16:07 - Jan 22 why do we not have a defensive coach mr osman can surely be used as i feel he knows a bit about it the 1st team set up (huthchins!!!)is a joke coaching wise.
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rosseden added 17:11 - Jan 22 'Is Paul Cooper doing anything these days' hes running a golf resort with his family in Spain i believe...... Craig Gordon might be available for loan to a champ side.... cant be worse than wnat we have......
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MickMillsTash added 17:32 - Jan 22 Walter Smith ??
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tollernator added 17:35 - Jan 22 What can i say players are picked by the manager and play postions given to them by the manager... So in that aspect Paul jewell is not making the right choices in transactions in buying selling and playing the right players in the right places or even picking the best player for that postion. Begining of the season I really had high hopes... but now i do believe paul should have to go. bring a manager that loves football always wants the win and pushes the team but in the same breath has the respect of the players...Few of the players are playing for a check and not the hunger of wanting to be the best to prove themselves or make it to the top flight again. But the biggest thing is we need a manger that loves Ipswich for the club it is and players not looking for a easy pay check but are hungry want to be there best in there game... and is there any manager that could do that.. would you bring back burley... or look futher a field ?... its questions we ae running out of time to answer

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brittaniaman added 17:45 - Jan 22 My friends in Derby are now saying // WE TOLD YOU SO // But you did not want to believe us !!!!!!!!!!!
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fourth added 17:55 - Jan 22 Do we have a team of professional footballers worth their £35 an hour or do we have some prats who can't play at all, and worse who may be selling their allegience to the syndicates ? I don't think they are prats, but we seem to have a team which is shaping up being destroyed by play that could not POSSIBLY be honest. I really would like to know what
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Pip50 added 18:17 - Jan 22 Fordhamblue....I accept all opinions and these are mine. Your logic is floored total spend according to your post is 10m ahhh same as Wickham and Walters fees. Yes wages etc etc and the debt costs, but how do Leicester Cardiff Boro Reading do it..... They have money to spend and we don't. Why did ME buy.. use your loaf quick win publicity Premiership sell loan odd post 30m purchased for 12m good profit. Hasn't quite worked!!

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oldelsworthyfan added 18:32 - Jan 22 Hello Paul Jewell,are you still yhere? If so why? Have you no pride?
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paulbahrain added 19:04 - Jan 22 Surely the answer is for Jewell to resign. I am sure ME does not want to sack him as he will have to pay out a lot as he did for that other useless twit, Keane. Jewell, do the distant thing, resign!!!!
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